The training begins...

We have been working on crate training each day, reinforcing their recalls (they all love swordfish) and teaching each pup their name. Ms Pink will be called "Spell", Ms. Purple is "Fantine", Mr. Blue is "Partner" and Ms. Yellow is "Brew". In the last few days they have been to the vet for their heart and eye checks and to Debbie Gross Saunders of Wizard of Paws for a structural evaluation. The magicians are really good traveling in the car. So far they have clocked 28 hours when you add up all of their trips.

Here are two photos taken at the puppy walk last weekend.





Other recent photos and video have been uploaded.
Enjoy!

How time flies!

I have been so busy with the puppies I have not had time to blog.
The puppies are doing really well and will be going home this weekend.
I promise to get photos and video uploaded tomorrow. They sure have grown up.

Barry Rosen came and did a photo session on Monday of the Magicians. They were really wonderful. Check out this link to see some great shots...

http://www.pbase.com/barryrosen/watkins

"Brew" formerly known as Ms. Yellow

They moved us again!

We took a road trip again but this time got to have a picnic on the way. We slept a long time and got to the best place yet! .



There are lots and lots of people and they all love us! We walk in woods and get to play in the water with the big dogs.
Our home got even bigger and we can go both inside and outside whenever we want. I like to keep things neat so go outside to do my business, Here is a picture of me with a nice lady named Blanche.



Yesterday we had lots of visitors! Some of them we are getting to know pretty well. Here is a picture of Keira Lichter out in the woods with us. She was a LOT of fun to play with!



After a long woods walk the people ate and we slept and slept and slept until dinner and then had a blast in the bottle pool. Look at the pictures when you get a chance. I know there will be lots of them in the next few days.

Food, glorious food!

Miss Yellow says... we got something called raw meat yesterday.... WOW that is good stuff! We are going to get all different kinds of protein over the next four weeks... beef, lamb, turkey, chicken, duck, rabbit, venison, tripe, salmon, buffalo, elk, ostrich and pork. If they all taste as good as the first one life is going to be GREAT!

We also got a private swimming pool. It is quite small, but we can really have some fun in it. I did get to stick my tongue in it and I got a nice drink.



We now have three pens, one by the shore of the lake, one outside the cottage and one in the cottage. So we have lots of places to play depending on wind and weather. We love both the water and the woods. We used to stay in one place when we are loose, now we make everyone keep an eye on us because we can really move!
I hear it's going to be hot tomorrow so we are going swimming again... check back for photos of that fun!

Miss Purple has something to say...

We love Keuka Lake! This place has so much to do! We have been swimming, we play in the woods, on the beach, and fall sleep almost anywhere! We even get to go to dinner with the people, but they just hold us while they drink some dark, hot, smelly stuff from a mug.

Aunt Lee and Uncle Dave came to visit again today and we got to show them how we come to "puppy, puppy, puppy" even when we are playing under the deck. Did someone mention we LOVE food! We spent most of the day outdoors today. We got to nurse, play and sleep for a while and then a whole bunch of people came to see us. They saw us from the boat and wanted to see how cute we were. We entertained them for an hour. There were big boys, and little boys and moms and dads and a girl who really loved us!

We have been getting our food one at a time. We hear a noise like a clicking sound and then get food. When we go into the little bed they make the noise and give us food :) It's really fun! We are learning lots and lots! I think they took more pictures, you'll have to check and see if there is anything else to look at.

Hope anyone in the way of the big storm stays very safe so you'll be able to come and visit when it's over.

Hey, that's wet..

It was warm enough to take the puppies to the edge of the water on Saturday. Below is Miss Yellow going into the lake toward Lee. She got covered by a wave but kept on going. You can see the next picture of her reaction in the blog photos..



Below is Mr. Blue coming across the beach after he has been in the water. He is showing how much fun they are having with their explorations each day.



We've had many adventures. We moved them into a slightly larger pen indoors. We do not want to make it too large so they can be successful with potty training. Mr. Blue went half way across the box to get to the litter box to do his business - what a good boy! We let them loose on the beach to explore and today we took them to the woods. They loved exploring and had a blast until they fell asleep in the leaves. We carried them into a nice clean pen to enjoy a quiet evening at home.

The Great Outdoors!

Today was a day filled with sunshine, new toys and grass. It was a beautiful day so the pups spent most of it outside in their pen and romping in the grass on the shore of the lake. Within the last two days they have gone from toddling around to moving with purpose. It is amazing how fast these guys can move!!!


Miss Pink on a mission!

Dart keeps a watchful eye on the pups while they are out of the pen, but they are happy to gather 'round for an afternoon meal. There are lots of new pictures and a video uploaded. Just click on the picture of Miss Yellow for the week five photos!


Dart nursing the Magicians on the shores of Keuka Lake

The Magicians have been busy!

And so have we, which is why we have not had time to put anything on the blog - that and the lack of an internet connection.

Life has been hectic moving the pups up to our cottage at Keuka Lake, which is one of the Finger Lakes in western NY. They handled the 7-hour trip like old pros - sleeping during the travel and nursing at various stops along the way. During their first stop, which was to visit our friends Blanche and Carol, they got to experience grass for the first time. The other stops were at more public places, so Dart got to nurse them in a special place that Lise set up inside her van.

Since we got to the lake they have adjusted nicely to the new surroundings. They are in a weaning pen with bars so they can see everything going on around them. Dart is being wonderful about allowing the other dogs to interact with them, though to date no one has gotten into the box with them. They have had lots of new toys added to the box each day.



On Saturday we added a potty area to the box and have been keeping the box very clean in the non-potty section so they will seek out the area with the potty scent. This morning we saw Miss Pink stop playing, walk directly to the box and do her business - what a good girl!


Lee Clark with the pups in the x-pen for the first time.

My dad, George Pratt, is watching from outside the pen.

On Saturday Lee and David drove up from PA to visit the pups and spent much of the day enjoying their antics. We took them outside into an x-pen for the first time and they did really well. Shortly thereafter new friends Barbara and Ron drove up to breed their girl Flame to Goose and got the added pleasure of playing with the pups. It has been busy, but a ton of fun with all the company.

Mr. Blue is almost 4 pounds, and the girls are not far behind with each of them weighing around 3 pounds 9 ounces. Their teeth have come in and they are truly little dogs. There are lots of pictures and videos up, so enjoy!

We're on the move!

The puppies moved to new digs with AC and are much happier! They have become little dogs in the last few days. They will be moving to the Finger Lakes in upstate New York tomorrow for their first vacation. Each puppy is developing their own personality and one is just cuter than the next! Everyone that comes to visit has a different favorite. My favorite is the one I am holding at that moment.

I have added photos so please take a look.
This is one of my favorites.... Mr. Blue fast asleep :)

Amazing how young....

.... they are when they begin to interact with each other. I have put videos up. One shows pink, yellow and blue playing with each other. The puppies are beginning to act like little dogs. Scratching their ears, the rear leg reflex when you tickle just the right area, sleeping on their backs....

Lee and Dave came to visit from Pennsylvania to meet their new addition. We spent time watching them sleep, nurse, play and really move around the box.


Ms. Yellow climbing on the puppy rail.

My AC died today so I am going to move them to another house that has AC so they can be comfortable. They still cannot regulate their temperature so my most important job is to keep them comfortable.

One thing Gayle Watkins has told me since the first litter, "if the puppies are crying, there is something wrong." They are either too hot, too cold, hungry or not feeling well. My job is to listen, figure it out and then fix it.

The weather is too stormy to move them tonight so I have frozen bottles on the edge of the box covered with towels for the puppies to sleep near to cool off if they need to. Hoping it is a restful night for everyone!

Just plain cute....

The Magicians just keep getting cuter! The pups don't do much at this point yet I can spend hours watching them. I love watching them learn to use their rear, begin to interact with each other and even just nurse. The noises they make when they are really sucking hard is just delicious! All of their eyes are open but they still can't hear yet.

I've put up some photos and video in the Week Two folder. Many of the photos have no flash so they are not the best we've taken. There are quite a few short videos to watch.

Dart spends less and less time in the box. You used to have to drag her out of the box. Now she spends lots of time letting them nurse but when they are done she gets out and goes into the other room and rests. She loves, loves, loves company.

Anyone who knows Dart knows how much she loves people. She thinks everyone is here to see her, the babies are just a bonus. She is quite loud on her greeting and quite demanding when it comes to being pet.

The photos below are of my friend and her family visiting. The twins, Connie and Maria, were amazing with Dart and the babies. They have a dog at home and clearly are "dog savvy". They loved giving Dart her favorite treats, Charlee Bears.

Here is Connie giving Mr. Blue a kiss.



Here is Maria giving Dart a Charlee Bear. Their mom, Keri, is holding their new sister, Rosie.

A Love-Hate Relationship ...

That is what I have with computers. When they work they are great. When they don't I get very frustrated.
Computer problems have kept me rom blogging over the last couple of days. That and it has been very busy with Lise out of town. She is coming home tomorrow, and I know she is dying to see these guys!!



All is well here - Mr. Blue, Ms. Purple and Ms. Yellow are all over two pounds Ms. Pink is just a 1/2 ounce behind. We continue to do biosensor. So far the unusual scents that they encountered are buffalo, banana, cantelope, coffee beans, dry roasted duck foot, tennis ball, pheasant, coconut oil, chicken and tonight they will be introduced to plastic. Tomorrow is duck ...




There are a few new pics and video up, but I have not taken a lot since eyes are opening. You can actually see reflection in Mr. Blue's eyes. I suspect in the morning we will see some more eyes.

Enjoy the photos.

Lots of visitors...

The magicians had six visitors today. Sandy and her daughter, Samantha, arrived first. All of the puppies were full of energy and would rather be eating than be held and kissed. Judy and her daughter, Robin, and grandson, Ben, kept them busy for a few hours and by the time Goretta arrived they were so tired that when you picked each puppy up and it snuggled into your hands and just kept sleeping.


Here is Ben with Mr. Blue.


You will have to guess who is who - the collars got tight so we took them off. Don't worry we know which puppy is which :)


Samantha and Sandy holding Ms. Purple and Mr. Blue respectively.

The best day yet!

Today was a very relaxing day. Marcy took all the dogs home except Drake. Dart's temperature was down to 101 and stayed there all day. All of the puppies are eating well, gaining weight and really energetic - getting up on all fours to get around the box. Their eyes are beginning to open so we will not be using any flash cameras until their eyes are totally open.
You can see from the photos above - purple on top and yellow below - how relaxed the puppies are :)

Dart is being a wonderful mom. She lets Drake into the room, she even allows him to check out the whelping box, but keeps a careful eye on him.

Sandy came to visit and groomed Dart and Drake while she was here. Later in the day Karen Lechner came to visit (don't tell Goose he missed her - she is a favorite of his)

Hope we are not boring you all to death with all the photos - check out the new ones!

The Ups and Downs

Right now the ups and downs have to do with Dart's temperature. Over the last few days she has been battling a low-grade fever. We put her on some meds and are taking her temperature every hour and things seem to be under control.

Of course one of the real ups when having a litter is the new friends we make along the way. This weekend Richard, Margrit and Keira came to visit the pups. After they met all six dogs they came in to see the pups. They fell in love with every one of them within a minute. The pups have also had visits from Elise Schonberger and her friend Karen as well as Phyllis Covino who tried to sneak one out in her pocket.

The pups continue to thrive - doing what they do, eat, sleep and get cleaned, which you can see in this video.

Meanwhile new photos and video are up on the smugmug site. Just click on Ms. Pink on the right to access them. Enjoy!

Visitors and gifts...

Sandy arrived bearing gifts for the puppies that she and Lee Clark got along with a few from Anne Paul, too. She showed me all the cute things and we placed them back in the bag and set them to the side. Dart immediately hopped out of the whelping box and stuck her head in the bag and took a toy as if to say, "Forget the kids, I love toys!!!" Here she is with one of them.



Here are Miss Yellow and Miss Pink resting after a busy day with visitors. My mom and dad arrived to visit for a while.
Phyllis Covino, Cindy Groveman and Sandy also spent lots of time spoiling the babies, oh, wait, you cannot spoil five-day old babies, you just revel in them!

There are lots more photos and a few videos posted from today.

All is well...

Yesterday was a busy day. I felt that Miss Pink was not comfortable - very fussy and not wanting to eat much. Off to the vet's office to be sure. The vet felt she got a chill so we spent the last 24 hours keeping her warm to raise her temperature. While Cindy held her on her lap with the heating pad I dealt with another possible problem, mastitis. We put compresses on Dart's rear teats and massaged them to get them more supple. Marcy stayed over and set the alarm to treat Dart every hour last night. The puppies wanted the front nipples, for an easy meal, so we kept either vet wrap or a shirt on Dart so the puppies were forced to nurse on the rear nipples. This morning Dart was much, much better with puppies happily nursing. Miss Pink was hungry and sufficiently heated. When we put her under a towel she crawled out quickly which she would do if she was too warm :)

At this point, except for a lack of sleep, all is well.

Check the recent photos - they have been sorted so the most recent photos come up on the first page.

Enjoy!

And For Their First Trick ...

... as our friend Carol said, the Magicians arrived two days early.

Dart woke me up at 7:12 yesterday morning - clearly she was having contractions. I thought I must be seeing things, because she was not due until Saturday according to our calculation using her LH peak. Marcy was on her way to Hartford, Connecticut, so I called Gayle who said they are probably Braxton Hicks contractions. Having seen Dart's labor before I told Gayle I thought she was in hard labor. Gayle said she was on her way. I then called my friends Cindy Groveman and Sandy Washburn to see if they would be able to come and lend a hand.

Before either of them arrived, at 7:27 Miss Pink showed up, weighing in at 14.75 ounces. Cindy arrived shortly thereafter, just in time to escort Miss Purple into the world, who arrived at 7:59 weighing in 12.25 oz. A little while later Sandy showed up just in time to see our only boy, Mr. Blue, arrive at 8:43. He weighed in at 15.125 oz. At 10:22 Miss Yellow showed up weighing in at 12 oz.

For the second time in a row, Gayle missed Dart's whelping, even though she cleared her schedule early, knowing how quickly Dart delivered the Comedians. Dart has always been a girl who does things her way, and with whelping she is no different. She is an incredible mother.

We look forward to keeping you posted with photos and video of the Magicians over the next eight weeks.

Planning...

Last winter my co-breeder, Gayle Watkins, and I decided to breed Dart (Gaylan's Fly Like the Wind JH AX MXJ WC OD VC CCA) to Renee Schulte's lovely boy, Rocky, (Wynwood's Wild Card SH CCA). We then patiently waited for Dart to come into season. On May 21st I headed to Michigan for the breeding. The drive was worth it since I got to visit old friends, make new ones and watch some talented dogs work in the field.

Dart being confirmed pregnant was the icing on the cake! Dart is due on July 23rd and that cannot come soon enough for me! I just love raising puppies. Dart being a wonderful mother makes the entire experience joyful! While waiting we've been busy training, keeping Dart fit and getting the the room ready for whelping. Check back from time to time, we'll keep you posted...